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The Tivoli Model One has been praised far and wide for its high-quality sound, small size, and cool, retro styling. We got our hands on a sample unit and came away impressed, just as many others have. Anyone who wants a compact, stylish radio with surprisingly good sound should give the Model One a look.

Design
In many ways, the Model One is the culminating achievement of famed audio engineer Henry Kloss's long career. Designed from the ground up by Kloss, who passed away in 2002, the radio exudes understated class and elegant simplicity. We received the Platinum Series Model One, which features a hand-lacquered, high gloss dark walnut cabinet that is simply gorgeous. According to Tivoli, the genuine wood casing isn't just for looks as it provides "an acoustically inert housing" that maximizes the speaker's sound quality. At just over 8 inches wide, 4.5 inches high, and 5.25 inches deep, the Model One is about the size of a toaster turned on its side-- plenty small to fit on a desk, dresser, or nightstand.

The Model One's single rotary dial handles tuning for both AM and FM stations. It feels sturdy and smooth in the hand. The dial is designed to move between stations at a speed that is a bit slower than the speed at which the user turns the knob-- a 5 to 1 ratio, to be exact. This "ratio" dialing technique makes it far easier to tune stations accurately and quickly. It's a nice touch that sets the unit apart from other desktop radios.

The tuner band selection and volume dials are easy to control. Plus, they're well designed for hands of all sizes. A small LED power indicator, as well as an LED that helps determine signal strength, are positioned between the dials. We liked the light-colored face and dark lettering printed on the Platinum Series model we reviewed; it made for easy operation in dimly-lit rooms. The Model One's single, 3" driver is protected by a handsome metal speaker cover. Tivoli adds that the speaker is enhanced by a "multi-stage frequency contouring circuit that adjusts the speaker's output over half-octave increments." The result, Tivoli claims, is "musically accurate tonal balance and bass response."

The back of the unit features a coaxial antenna jack for the included FM antenna wire. While the Model One also has an internal FM antenna, Tivoli recommends using the supplied external one for tricky tuning in locales with a lot of stations crammed together. There's a handy switch for switching between the internal and external antennae. A standard 3.5mm headphone jack is also provided, as is a 3.5mm auxiliary line in port for plugging in your iPod or other music device. If you want to use the Model One as a component tuner-- not a bad idea given the overall quality and accuracy of the tuning circuitry-- Tivoli has provided a 3.5mm output port. The back panel also sports separate ports for AC and DC power, making the unit a great choice for boating or RV use.

Listening Pleasure
As with the Tivoli iPal portable speaker system, we were initially skeptical about the performance of a small, one-speaker unit that only offers monaural sound. The reality is that most small two-speaker systems don't allow you to place the speakers very far apart anyway, and the Model One's rich, resonant sound more than made up for its lack of true stereo separation. Plus, the Model One is a single, elegant box with no annoying speaker cords.

While the Model One isn't designed to provide earth-shattering sound at high volume, it produces surprising clarity and fullness at normal listening levels. When turned all the way up, the unit's rich sound persists and we suspect that Tivoli engineered the Model One's volume level to max out before any distortion arises. If you don't need a lot of volume, the Model One delivers. As with the iPal, we were left scratching our heads and wondering how such great sound could come from such a little box.

The Model One's tuning accuracy is also impressive; we were able to dial in stations we didn't even know existed. Tivoli says this is due to the unit's discrete-component FM tuner technology, which was originally developed for cellular telephones. Whatever Tivoli has done here, they did it right; closely-spaced stations are a breeze to tune.

Pros

• Compact form factor
• Excellent sound
• Supremely accurate tuning

• Not engineered to produce extremely high volume levels

From the Manufacturer

The Tivoli Audio® Model One® AM/FM table radio has been described as the best sounding table radio ever made,(MSNBC) offering the kind of room-filling sound that many other radios claim to deliver but often don't. (Forbes)

More Products by Tivoli Audio

Where performance and simplicity are paramount but space is sparse, the Model One table radio fits the bill. With just three knobs, it is the antithesis of today's ever more complex electronic products. The Model One gets more stations than other radios because of its state of the art, Henry Kloss designed discrete-component FM tuner using technology originally developed for cellular telephones. This technology gives better FM reception and increased clarity on closely spaced stations. Features include a furniture-grade, handmade wood cabinet that doubles as an acoustically inert housing and a heavy-magnet, long-throw 3-inch speaker that provides musically accurate tonal balance and bass response. Its large analog-tuning knob with geared-down 5:1 tuning ratio permits easy and accurate tuning. The amber tuning indicator lets you know when you've achieved proper tuning. Built-in AM and FM antennas provide satisfying reception.

Like all Tivoli Audio products, the Model One AM/FM table radio is compatible with iPod and other mp3 players through the auxiliary input offered on the back of the unit. It also offers an external FM antenna input that allows for improved tuning in difficult reception areas, as well as a headphone jack, and a record output for recording, or to use the Model One as a high-quality outboard tuner.

Available in several finishes such as Walnut/Beige, Black Ash/Silver, Cherry/Cobalt Blue, Maple/Hunter Green, Cherry/Silver, and White/Silver.

The Model one is also made available through Platinum Series collection in Piano Black/Silver and Dark Walnut/Beige or the Frost White Collection in the following finishes; Frost White/Atlantic Blue, Frost White/ Kelly Green, Frost White/Ember Red, Frost White/Sunflower Yellow, and Frost White/Snow White.

An external FM antenna and 9' power cord are included in the box. One year warranty.

x : Available

Products Summary Chart

5:1 Ratio Turning Knob

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

AM/FM

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

AM Antenna

internal

internal

internal

internal

internal

internal

internal

internal

internal

internal

internal

external included

Auxilary Input

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Bluetooth

optional accessory

x

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

x

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

FM Antenna

internal / external wire

internal / external wire

internal / external wire

internal / external wire

internal / external telescoping antenna

internal / external telescoping antenna

internal / external telescoping antenna

internal / external telescoping antenna

internal / external telescoping antenna

internal / external telescoping antenna

internal / external wire

internal / external wire

Mix Input

x

x

x

x

x

x

Station Presets

x

x

x

x

x

Alarm Clock

x

x

x

x

x

x

CD Player

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

optional accessory

x

EQ Adjustments

x

x

Extra Speaker Output

x

x

x

x

Headphone Jack

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

12V DC Power

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

AC Power

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Battery Power

x

x

x

x

x

Cabinet Type

wood

wood

wood

wood

wood

weather resistant

weather resistant

weather resistant

weather resistant

weather resistant

high gloss

wood

Record Output

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Record Output

x

x

x

x